


The Sun is a Simulation

by blingeekingdave



Category: Metal Gear, Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Crossover, Fish out of Water, Time Travel, it might be, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-05 08:55:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blingeekingdave/pseuds/blingeekingdave
Summary: “Otacon… why are there cowboys?” Snake asked, hunched down to use his codec. Not far away, there was a group of said cowboys, but Snake was keeping himself well out of sight.“Snake, you've been caught in a time paradox! You're being projected into the year 1899.”Or: the strangest folk always seem to run into Arthur Morgan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Snake is his MGS2 design thanks.
> 
> Not Beta'd

“Otacon… why are there cowboys?” Snake asked, hunched down to use his codec. Not far away, there was a group of said cowboys, but Snake was keeping himself well out of sight.

“Snake, you've been caught in a time paradox! You're being projected into the year 1899.”

“1899? Then how am I able to contact you?”

“Well, Snake, I'm still not sure how real what you're experiencing is. This kind of anomaly is beyond anything I've studied, but I'm working on figuring it out. In the meantime, you're going to have to try to blend in and, more importantly, stay alive.”

“I'll do what I can. It shouldn't be too hard, right? I outgun everyone here easily.”

“That only mean so much if you get hopelessly outnumbered. Good luck, Snake. I'll be in close contact.”

The connection was severed, and Snake was left alone. He's survived in harsher environments, though, and he smirked thinking about his infinite ammo. A sound nearby took him out of his thoughts. This seemed like a good opportunity, and Snake kept his back to a tree. Moments later, a man walked nearby alone, and it was time to make a move. Snake captured the man in a choke hold and knocked him out with practiced ease.

“Looks like I've got a change of clothes now.”

One naked cowboy later, Snake was walking down a dirt road with his new clothes worn over his gear. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it afforded him a lot more protection. He took out a cigarette and started smoking as he walked. Hopefully, he'd reach some sort of town soon. After another good ten minutes of walking, he heard the sounds of a horse approaching.

“Hey, Mister,” said a voice, and Snake turned to face the man on the horse. “This is a bit a ways from town to be going on a walk. You run into some trouble?”

“I'm actually looking to get back to town,” Snake said. “I seem to have gotten a little lost, unfortunately.”

“Well, I reckon you can follow me back to town if you'd like,” the man offered, tipping his hat. He waited on his still horse for an answer.

“I'd appreciate it,” Snake replied, not really having anything to lose from it. The horse was brought to a canter, and he followed next to it.

“So, you got a name?” the man on the horse asked. Snake took a moment to consider how to answer. This might be the one time and place where it would be better to use his real name than a code name. It would be another 35 years or so until Big Boss was even born, so it wasn't even a risk most likely.

“David Johnson.” That was how he settled on answering. A pretty plain name, really. It worked. He only had to make up the family name.

“Arthur Morgan.” Snake's–or he supposed more so David's at this point–first real interaction with a person was going pretty well. “You visiting from the city? You don't sound like you're from around these parts.”

“I'm not from anywhere,” David grunted.

“I know the feeling,” Arthur said with a short laugh. They walked a but longer, and then David saw that they were coming up on a small, dirty looking town. It didn't surprise him. This was 1899, and he seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. “Here we are, Valentine. It's not too safe ‘round these parts. You really shouldn't be prancing around without a horse and some fire power. Though, it looks like you got that last bit covered.”

“Noted. Thanks for the advice.” David almost, as is almost a reflex during missions, offered his codec frequency. Fortunately, he managed to not make a fool of himself. Arthur tipped his hat, and his horse trotted off.

\-----

Arthur brought his horse up to where Charles was waiting for him. “You been waiting long?”

“A little longer than expected,” Charles said, but he didn't seem bothered. “Did you get side tracked?”

“Ah, a bit. Showed a stranger feller back to town,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Weird guy. Had a real military feel to ‘im.”

“Strange indeed. Come on, let's get to the sheriff's office.”

Arthur hitched his horse and the two of them walked down the main road. There had been word of a high paying bounty in Valentine, one that promised more trouble than it was worth as a solo endeavor. Arthur had asked Charles to ride with him, and the man had agreed. It should be easy with the both of them. They walked into the sheriff's office, made quick business of getting the bounty, and made their leave. The both of them moved to mount their horses, but Arthur stopped short. He could hear what sounded like Mister Johnson, and he was curious. it wouldn't hurt to eavesdrop a bit. He gestured to Charles and leaned against a building to listen.

“Otacon, how much is the dollar worth in this time? Really? Hm… I think I'm going to have to get a horse. Uh… no. I'll figure it out. It can't be much harder than a motorcycle. What? Animals love me. I need to figure things out, Otacon. Over.”

Slowly, Johnson walked back towards the road. He seemed to know he had acquired an audience. Arthur hadn't heard everything Johnson had said, but it was still odd.

“You doing alright, Mister Johnson? Seems like you might still be a little off.” Arthur's tone wasn't accusatory, but it wasn't comforting either.

“It's been an off day,” Johnson said, a grunt to his voice. “I don't intend to bother you, Mister Morgan.”

“Are you in the military?” Charles asking, joining the conversation. He positioned himself by Arthur, showing where he allegiance lied.

“Not anymore.” It was clear that Johnson didn't intend to elaborate. Arthur studied him, taking in the man's form since that was more or less confirmation. He rubbed his chin in thought, shooting Charles a look before he spoke again.

“You seem a bit more out of sorts than you let on, Mister Johnson, but I think I have a proposition for you,” Arthur said, feeling Charles staring at him questioningly. Call it curiosity but he had a feeling about this feller, and he wanted to follow that hunch. “See if you can get yourself a horse. Either way, you should come meet us over down the road by the edge of town. My friend, Mister Smith, and I are about to go after what sounds like a troublesome bounty. I think you should join us. Kind of want to see how a military man performs.”

There was a calculating look in Johnson's eyes. Arthur knew it wasn't the stupid kind, too, since he had that look memorized from working with John so long. This was a man who planned his actions. “I see. I think I will.”

With an awkward tip of his hat, Johnson walked off. Arthur and Charles shared another look before the mounted up and trotted over to where Arthur had told Johnson to meet them.

“You must be real curious,” Charles said when they got there, breaking the silence. “Do you really think that was a good idea, Arthur?”

“Eh, not sure,” Arthur replied, scratching his jaw. “Even if he don’t see to harmful now, that don’t mean he ain’t. I’ve just got a feeling, I guess. Didn’t seem like he had any business with us otherwise, so I ain’t worryin’ about my own bounties. If nothin’ else, we might get some entertainment for our trouble.”

\-----

Snake made his way toward what appeared to be a stable. He didn’t have any cash on him, since there was no need for it in his line of work. Credit cards were overtaking paper money anyway. What Snake did have were some _adult magazines_ that some may find interesting. He was hoping he would be able to strike up a barter with it. 

He walked into the stable. Ten minutes later he came out with a horse. It wasn’t graceful, but he had two fingers behind his ear as he silently listened to Otacon explain how one rides a horse, something about tapping a button. Snake would figure it out–he always did. Disconnecting from Otacon, he urged the horse forward to the meeting spot.

Instead of saying anything as he approached, he simply nodded. Morgan held out a paper towards him, so he took it and gave it a once over.

“That’s our guy. It says dead or alive, but I reckon with what I’ve heard bout this man, it might as well just say dead,” Morgan said, not bothered by the prospect of killing someone.

“Would you rather have him alive?” Snake asked,

“Do you think you could bring this man in alive, Mister Johnson? I heard from the sheriff he’s already taken down a few of the bounty hunters that went after him.”

“I do, actually,” Snake asserted, rising to the challenge. “Disarming and taking down enemies with non-lethal action is something of a specialty of mine. I'd be happy to show you. Once I can assess the situation, I'm sure I'll have a plan.”

“Alright, mister soldier. Come on and follow us, we'll be on our way.” Morgan went first and was quickly followed by Smith. It took a second for David to get started, but he caught up just fine. He was given a name for where they were going, not that it meant anything to him. They rode for a while and eventually went off trail to get to where the bounty had last been seen. As they got close, they dismounted from their horses.

David knew they were getting close before they could see the first signs of the camp, and he help up a hand. “There's activity up ahead. If you still want to see me get this guy, I'll gonuo ahead with you two covering me. Once I get a look at his set up, I'll make my approach and take him down.”

“Some of the reports said he might have an accomplice,” Smith said. “You sure about going in on your own to prove something?”

“I'm not worried. Like I said, this is my specialty. Having someone covering me at all is something of a luxury,” David said with a wry smile.

“If you say so,” Morgan said, scratching under his chin. “We'll be covering you.”

Snake nodded and started to creep forward as silently as he could through the foliage. Soon enough, a small camp with two men came into sight. He moved forward with the trees as cover and saw two men, picking out his bounty from the two. Picking up a rock, he threw it into a bush a distance from where he was. As predicted one of them got up to check it out shotgun in hand, and it had both of their attention. Snake creeped up behind the one who stayed behind and hauled him up into a choke hold. Like old hat, the man was knocked out. Snake didn't let him drop yet, though. Instead, he hoisted up the figure and sent him flying at the other target like a shot put. Snake rushed in before the the remaining man could respond, pulling the shotgun out of his hands and using the butt to jab him in the solar plexus and knock him down. Both men thoroughly stunned, he raised a hand to gesture his comrades over.

“Well I'll be damned,” said Morgan, as he stepped into the camp. He went over to the bounty and tied his hands and feet with rope. “This really is your specialty, ain't it? It was a mighty impressive display, Mister Johnson. Not a shot fired.”

“It's hard to believe the army would let someone with that kind of skill go,” Smith said, clearly more suspicious of him than Morgan.

“The government is just fine without me. No one is going to bother me out here.” After all, he was in the wrong year for that. “With so many shadowy figures running things behind doors, it's better to trust in yourself.”

That seemed to appease his companions. They collected the tied up man and hauled him back to town. Arthur brought him into the sheriff's office and came out with some cash he started divvying out. David got a wad of bills himself, which he pocketed.

“I'm going back to camp, Arthur,” Smith said, receiving a nod from Morgan. “Stay safe.”

They both watched him ride off. Snake held a hand to his chin in thought. As fun as this was, he still wasn't sure what he was going to do with himself when nightfall came. The first step would he supplies. Then, he'd need to check in with Otacon.

“Hey, Mister.” David was drawn away from his thoughts by the sound of Morgan's voice, and he looked over to the man in question. “Are you busy?”

David smiled to himself. “Not particularly. You got something in mind?”

“I might,” he said, putting a little too much effort into playing it cool. Morgan mounted his horse and asked him a question. “Ride with me?”

And David did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was shoved onto his knees as a man with dark hair and a mustache approached him. Probably Dutch. “Who the hell are you?”
> 
> “David Johnson. Sir.”
> 
> “What business do you have waltzing in here? Who sent you?” A small crowd was gathering around, here to see the spectacle, he assumed.
> 
> “Well, sir, I was following my map to Horseshoe Overlook in hope of a good view. Instead, I was lassoed.” David was doing an admirable job keeping his face blank. This whole situation was surreal. Laughable. “I didn't mean to intrude.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I reread the codec page on the metal gear wiki and further down the page it said that the conversations were silent and stuff but fuck it im sticking with this nanomachines are bullshit anyway
> 
> Beta'd by @[inconocible](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inconocible/)

Arthur rode a little ways outside of Valentine with his new... friend trailing beside him. He really wasn't sure why he had asked to man to ride with him, but this man, David Johnson, was packed to the brim with intrigue. The work he had made of that bounty had been more than impressive and almost entrancing to watch. It was so much more fluid and controlled than any of the fist fights he had been a part of.

“You hunt much?” Arthur asked.

“Hunt? Not animals,” David said, humor in his voice.

“Fair ‘nough,” Arthur replied, pulling out the bow Charles had given him. As they trotted at a steady pace, he kept an eye out. When an opportunity arose, he shot an arrow through a rabbit's neck. Hopping down, he collected the rabbit and held it up towards David. “I caught dinner. You interested, Mister Johnson?”

“Hrm, why not? We'll need somewhere to set up a campfire, so lead the way, cowboy.”

Arthur absolutely hated it when Micah called him any variation of “cowpoke,” but there was something about David being the one to say it that he quite liked. He almost smiled when he got back on his horse to veer off the trail and find a good place to set up camp. 

“Over here,” he announced, pulling into a clearing and getting off of his horse. He started taking his camp stuff out to set it up. “This seems as good a place as any.”

David grunted in agreement. “I'll go gather some wood.”

They had just met, but the interaction didn't feel forced or awkward. It was mostly silent as Arthur set up camp, and David started up a fire. Arthur started roasting the rabbit he prepared. It was still quiet, and he let it go for a little while longer before speaking up.

“So, what are you doing out in these parts, Mister Johnson?”

“You might as well call me David if we're going to be this friendly,” David said, mirth clear. “I suppose I'm not doing anything. Just wandering. There's nowhere I need to go, and I'm just doing what I need to to get by.”

“Sure, David.” Arthur found himself curious despite himself. “Earlier you didn't have a horse. Something happen there?” 

“You could say that. I ran into some bad luck, and I'll leave it at that,” he said. “What about you, Arthur? What are you up to out here?”

“About the same but with more company, I'd say.” Arthur shrugged. “You know what they say. Safety in numbers and all.”

Looking up at the sky, Arthur noted the setting sun.

“You camping out tonight, David?”

“Seems so,” David said. “It's been a while since I roughed it without a tent. Brings back some memories.”

“Hm.” He paused in thought. “If, ah, you don't mind a squeeze, my tent should have just enough space for two.”

“I think I'll have to take you up on that.” David smiled at him with the fire flickering light and shadow across his face. Arthur tucked that image into his mind.

They'd part in the morning.

\-----

David wandered.

After parting ways with Arthur, he had gone into town to purchase his own supplies, but he had felt no need to stick around. Instead he took his horse, recently dubbed George, around the heartlands. He didn't venture too far, and it was good for adjusting himself to using such an old, paper map. It was peaceful. He particularly enjoyed going off trail, where he would see even fewer people. It was better for catching up with Otacon.

“Who's there?”

David was taken out of his thoughts by a familiar man appearing from some nearby brush. “Mister Smith.”

“Mister Johnson.” Smith gave him a look, seeming to size him up. “It would be in your best interest to turn yourself around.”

“I'll be on my way, then,” he said, getting the message. There was no reason to start trouble, so he turned George around and started back the way he came with a light trot.

Really, that should have been the end if it. However, not more than a few minutes later, he heard the sound of another horse approaching him from behind. Now, David was a highly trained operative, but he thought it was fair to forgive him for not anticipating being lassoed of all things, torn from his horse. At least he landed on his feet.

“Can I help you?” he asked to the grimy looking man currently reigning him in.

“Quiet! You're coming with me.” David's hands were tied behind his back, and the man tried to push him forward. Feeling cooperative, David simply walked forward on his own. He grinned to himself, hoping this would give him some nice entertainment. He was roughly, though ineffectually, dragged into a large camp full of tents and wagons. His eyes darted around to take it all in. “Dutch! I found a snake just outside camp! This man tracked us down and I suggest we show no mercy.”

Well, he was right about the snake part.

He was shoved onto his knees as a man with dark hair and a mustache approached him. Probably Dutch. “Who the hell are you?”

“David Johnson. Sir.”

“What business do you have waltzing in here? Who sent you?” A small crowd was gathering around, here to see the spectacle, he assumed.

“Well, sir, I was following my map to Horseshoe Overlook in hope of a good view. Instead, I was lassoed.” David was doing an admirable job keeping his face blank. This whole situation was surreal. Laughable. “I didn't mean to intrude.”

“He knew Smith,” said the man who had lassoed him. As he spoke, David freed his hands and brought them quietly to his lap. “I bet he tracked him here. Dutch, I say we shoot him right here.”

“Now calm down, Micah. If the O'Driscolls sent him, he might know something we might like to know.” Dutch stepped forward, clearly with the intent to intimidate. He opened his mouth to speak again when another voice cut in.

“Mister Johnson! Did you follow me home?” Arthur Morgan appeared, walking towards him with Smith not far behind. David grinned.

“As much as I enjoyed your company,” he said, now looking over at the man, “This is all pure coincidence. I told you I was going to wander, and that's what I did, Mister Morgan.”

“Dutch,” Arthur said, now directed at the dark haired man. “I don't think Mister Johnson here is a threat to us. He's ex-military and pretty impressive, actually. Helped me ‘n Charles with that bounty I was tellin’ you about. He took down two men. No gunshots. Just knocked ‘em out.”

“Is that so,” Dutch said, looking back towards David. “Wait, who untied his hands. I gave no such order.”

“I got out of the rope myself, sir,” Snake said, schooling his face. “I have… a particular set of skills. I'd be happy to tell you more under friendlier circumstances.”

Dutch seemed to ponder all the information he had been given, and his eyes narrowed. “Someone keep an eye on this man while I talk to Arthur. Take all his guns for now.”

Charles Smith started moving before Dutch stopped talking, taking position over David before someone else could. Smart. After what could only be the leader walked off, Smith spoke.

“You can stand up now,” he said, offering a hand that David took. “You can put your guns in a box over here for now.”

“Thanks,” David said, simply as he was gestured over towards a wagon with some empty crates. Carefully, he removed any gun on his person that would be visible and placed them in the crate.

“Strange skills and strange guns.” Smith said, looking them over. “You're a weird guy, Mister Johnson, but I hope this works out alright for your sake, anyway.”

“I appreciate it,” he said, standing with his arms crossed. The silence between them didn't last long, as a new man entered the scene, a cocky looking red head.

“So, I heard you took out some real bad men without even using a gun. That right?” Raising a brow, Snake nodded. “The name's Sean, and I bet I could take you on! Come on, let's go.”

“Sure.” Snake smirked, shifting into a better position. He was prepared when Sean came at him and had him on the ground in two seconds flat. “Huh. Maybe you weren't ready.”

Laughter sounded nearby, coming from a woman who was clearly there to watch Sean try to challenge him. “He sure showed you.”

“I resent that,” Sean muttered, rising back up to his feet. “Just you wait. Ol’ Sean'll get you next time.”

“Sure,” David said, crossing his arms again.

Not long after that exchange, Arthur and Dutch reappeared. Dutch was walking right towards him and dropped a heavy hand onto his shoulder. “I have a proposition for you, son.”

“Is that so, sir?” he asked, drawing out his ‘sir’ in a way he knew older men in positions of power ate up. It wouldn't hurt to butter up the leader.

“We are agreeable men here. Some may call us outlaws, but sometimes goals as great as ours require some dirty work.” The hand on his shoulder squeezed. “If you're agreeable, you could join our cause: making a better home for ourselves. As soon as we gather the funds, we will be free of the society which wishes to hold us back. Free men on our own land. Isn't that what anyone would want? The cities being built up around us each day only wish to take away our freedoms and make up part if the system. Our goal is live by our own code and do our own good. What do you say, son?”

It sounded like overly idealistic bullshit that was almost certainly not the full truth of the matter. Still, David didn't see himself walking away from this unscathed if he turned this man down. At least he liked Arthur. “I understand, sir. I wouldn't be opposed to joining your cause.”

“That's what I like to hear,” Dutch said, looking like he'd won. “Arthur, why don't you help your friend here get set up and introduced to some of the other folk?”

“Sure,” Arthur said and gestured for David to follow. His shoulder was finally freed, so he'd be able to do. Arthur spoke to him again, quieter this time. “Sorry you got roped into this.”

“It's fine,” he said, waving Arthur off. “Crime isn't my first choice, but it isn't like I had anything else going on. You said it yourself: safety in numbers.”

“You're sure taking it in stride,” Arthur said, nudging him in a friendly manner.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before David stopped and stood at attention. In an instant, he had hands someone trying to sneak attack him. David threw them to the ground. It was Sean again. “Really?”

“The hell do you think you're doing, Sean?”

“What can I say, Arthur?” Sean asked, grinning like a fool. “I like a challenge.”

“For your pride's sake, you should give up,” David said and clicked his tongue.

Arthur lead David around for a little longer, showing him where he could set up his newly purchased tent and greeting a few people on the way. They had fallen into friendly chatter, not really talking about anything at all. The camp. The people. The local wildlife. Eventually they ended up by the central campfire.

“Heard we have another military man in our midst.” Looking over, snake saw a stocky, older man extending a had. “The name's Pearson. I was in the Navy, but now I cook for these ingrates. What about you, son?”

“David Johnson.” David shook the man's hand. “I worked closely with intelligence, so that's mostly classified. It's for the best if I don't discuss it.”

Pearson scoffed at him. “Have it your way. You'll warm up to us eventually.”

Arthur looked over to him with a question in his eyes that he was too polite to voice. All David could do was shrug. “I'd rather not give the government a reason to want to want to find me.”

“Fair ‘nough,” Arthur said. There was a long pause before Arthur spoke to him again. “I… I don't know. It ain't so bad here, David. Living this kind of life. This is probably gonna sound silly, but I've got a good feeling about you bein’ here.”

“We make our own fate, Arthur.” He put a hand on the man's shoulder. “There's nothing silly about intuition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus Question 2: What cowboy activity do you want to see snake do?

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the third in my series of crossovers that shouldn't exist. You're welcome. Bonus question: who do you want to see smooch?
> 
> [tumblr](http://jewishmatsuda.tumblr.com) [twitter](https://twitter.com/blingeekingdave)


End file.
